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It seems Solana has some default RPC endpoints such as https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com. There are also specialized (mostly paid) RPC nodes out there, such as QuickNode.

In that case, the RPC endpoint is a computer that is different (and most likely in a different location) than the validator(s).

My question is: Is each and every validator required to act as an RPC endpoint in itself? Or at least have an "associated" RPC endpoint?

Put it another way: Do I have guarantee that each validator will accept my RPC requests DIRECTLY, without requiring me to go through a SEPARATE RPC endpoint that is separate from the validator?

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Most validator operators either totally disable or strictly firewall off the RPC service as a security measure. It is not considered sufficiently hardened to expose to the open internet when stake is at risk.

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  • Good to know - very helpful. That's what I suspected. Just wondering how things like censorship resistance can be maintained when accepting requests is delegated to separate RPC nodes that are not part of the consensus mechanism. But I posted that as a separate question.
    – AllBlooming
    Jul 27, 2022 at 6:25
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An RPC endpoint is an access point to the Solana blockchain. A bit like a wifi access point gives you access to the internet.

Is each and every validator required to act as an ROC endpoint in itself?

A node operator can choose to run its node as vote-only, RPC-only, or both simultaneously. This can be configured in the Solana runtime.

If so, can I just pick a "favorite" validator and send all my RPC traffic there?

You not only "can", but "need" to select an RPC endpoint, or it would be akin to want to access a wifi network without providing its SSID. What might have confused you is that most Dapps hide this choice away from you by setting a default RPC for their app to work. Some give you a set of RPCs you can use, some let you input an arbitrary one (generally developer-oriented, like Solana and SolanaFM explorers for instance).

As a side note, the https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com/ endpoint is a default endpoint yes, and the distinction to make between these and a paid one comes to rate-limiting. The public, free ones (there are others, from GenesysGo or Serum for instance) will typically severely limit your requests/second, while paid ones will allow you higher or unbounded rates. Selecting a free endpoint or subscribing to a paid one ultimately depends on what you are doing, the expected usage, and robustness required.

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  • My question is not about what an RPC endpoint is. It is about whether each validator must also offer its own RPC service (on the same hardware). It is usually separated: E.g. my RPC endpoint can be a QuickNode node, and QuickNode will forward the requests to a validator: Validator and RPC endpoint are two different computers in different locations. My question is: Does EVERY validator need have its own RPC endpoint that I can use to access the VALIDATOR directly, without going through a SEPARATE RPC endpoint?
    – AllBlooming
    Jul 27, 2022 at 5:46
  • Now I see you wrote ...choose to run its node vote-only.... So that means validators can choose to not accept RPC requests?
    – AllBlooming
    Jul 27, 2022 at 5:56
  • Yes. Your original question was phrased in a way that communicated confusing knowledge of what a RPC endpoint is, so I chose to give some background on top of the straightforward answer to your question. Edit is much better, and trent's details are useful, though.
    – man0s
    Jul 27, 2022 at 8:55
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RPC is the first layer of the transaction. Once you send a transaction through Solana wallet, that request goes to an RPC server. RPC servers check the incoming request, if it is a valid Solana transaction then it forwards it to the validators. Think about RPC servers like load balancers

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